


White Hearts and Other Scars

by omg-kent-mashkov (Sotheylived)



Series: Omg-Kent-Mashkov's Follower Appreciation [1]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-21 03:45:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11935641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sotheylived/pseuds/omg-kent-mashkov
Summary: For the prompt: Patater, tattoo artist, what you have on your skin appears on your soulmates, Zimbits as the background.Kent and Alexei aren’t dating, but they’re not not dating either.





	White Hearts and Other Scars

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for intentional non-graphic scarring.

“So what’re you and Alexei doing this weekend?” Bitty asked as they both waited for their next appointments.

Kent shrugged. “I don’t know what Alexei’s doing, but I’m free.” He did know, actually, that Alexei was free as well, but that was beside the point.

Bitty rolled his eyes at him, still not quite over the fact that Kent hadn’t introduced him to Jack the moment he’d realized they were soulmates four years ago.

Kent had been riding a serious afterglow, tracing nonsensical patterns into Jack’s back when he’d noticed the tattoo for the first time. A black dot appeared on his shoulder, small enough Kent thought he’d imagined it. Kent had stared as the dot grew and took shape. Jack was still asleep when Kent’s world caved in.  

“When are you going to stop pretending Alexei is just some guy you hang out with?” Bitty said, jolting Kent back to the present.

“When his tattoos disappear.” Because Alexei had a soulmate out there somewhere and it wasn’t Kent.

They’d met at a bar and had a one night stand that was still standing more than a year later. Kent couldn’t remember the last time Alexei had spent the night at his own place - he half suspected Alexei didn’t even rent it anymore. He didn’t ask though, because he could live in a bubble of plausible deniability if he didn’t know.

“One day you’ll admit you’re in love with that boy,” Bitty said.

Kent bit his tongue so hard he tasted blood. It’d only taken a half dozen years of therapy for Kent to not lash out every time he wanted to. He called that a win.

The bell above the door to the tattoo parlour chimed and Kent looked up, broad smile blooming on his face when he saw it was Alexei walking through the door.

“Hey,” Kent said, voice soft. “What’re you doing here?”

“You forgot your lunch.” Alexei walked towards Kent with an outstretched paper bag.

Kent shook his head. “I didn’t pack a lunch.”

Alexei smiled at him and kissed him straight on the lips without a care in the world as to who was watching. Kent loved that about him. The way Alexei wasn’t afraid to claim Kent for his own, even if Kent wasn’t his to claim. He wished not for the first time that he had the outline of Russia tattooed across his forearm, tiny red heart smack dab in the center.

“I know,” Alexei said, dropping the bag onto the counter. “I want to come see you, need excuse.”

Kent beamed up at him, grabbing him by the shirt to pull him down for another kiss. Alexei’s lips tasted fresh like spearmint toothpaste. He ruined the kiss by smiling into it, but Kent couldn’t seem to find it in himself to care.

“Thanks,” he said, cheeks pink when they finally pulled apart.

Alexei cupped Kent’s face, thumb tracing lightly across his upper lip. “See you at home.”

Kent’s heart felt like it would beat straight out of his chest. He smiled as he watched Alexei walk out the door. Kent sighed when Alexei disappeared down the street. When he turned away from the window Bitty was staring at him with a smug smile.

“Shut up.”

_X_ 

When Kent was a kid he’d drawn all over his arms. He’d hid his name in intricate weaving patterns. His mom let him leave it, even after she explained that his soul mate couldn’t see it. Soul bonds were deep, complicated things, she’d explained to him. Only permanent ink, piercing the skin could be seen by a soulmate.

That evening he’d cut a crude heart into his wrist. It’d hurt more than he’d expected, but he’d clenched his teeth and kept going. He’d had the ink from a broken pen ready when his mother had stopped him. He’d been grounded for a month after that. _Wait,_ she’d told him. _It’ll happen when it’s meant to be. You can’t force it._ The lesson stuck. He had the scar to remind him.

Kent still didn’t have any tattoos. He’d waited after that. Then he’d fallen hard and fast for his best friend. Jack didn’t want a tattoo, so Kent hadn’t gotten one. He’d been so sure they were soul mates.

He thought about finally getting that heart tattooed on his wrist after everything, but by then he was scared. Scared he was broken. Scared he’d get a tattoo and never find it’s match. So here he was half a dozen years later, a tattooless tattoo artist.

Kent traced the faint white outline on his wrist as he walked back to his apartment after his last tattoo of the day cancelled. Alexei was laying on the couch when Kent entered, Kit perched high on his shoulder. Kent smiled at the sight.

“Hi,” he said, kicking off his shoes and immediately curling up beside him. Kit mewled in protest and jumped down, disappearing down the hall.

Alexei kissed him, slow and sweet. “Hi,” he breathed against Kent’s mouth several long moments later.

“My sister call me today,” Alexei said, wrapping his arm around Kent and pulling him close.

Kent hummed, nuzzling into Alexei’s side.

“She is getting married in Spring. Her soulmate proposed.”

“Wow,” Kent said, subtly inhaling Alexei’s scent. He wondered if he could convince him to play hooky with him tomorrow and spend the entire day in bed.

“I am thinking we go to wedding together.”

“What?” Kent said, trying and failing to sit upright with Alexei’s arms around him.

Alexei rubbed a soothing hand down his arm. “Wedding is in Germany, not Russia,” he said as though that made a difference.

“Don’t you want to wait for your soulmate?” Kent asked, unable to stop himself. They rarely ever talked about soulmates. “Like if I went I’d be in all these pictures and then what would you do years from now looking back -” Kent would not cry he wouldn’t. “You wouldn’t want some random guy in all those pictures with your family.”

“Wouldn’t be random guy,” Alexei said, fingers gently grasping Kent’s chin so they faced one another. “Would be you.” He punctuated his words with a kiss to Kent’s lips. “I want to be with you.”

Kent let out a watery laugh that was half sob. “You can’t honestly tell me that if you met your soulmate one day you wouldn’t leave me.”

Alexei sighed. It wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation. “I like Zimmboni,” he said, stroking along Kent’s jaw. “But not everyone will leave you.”

Kent squeezed his eyes shut. Tears leaked out from under his lids. Alexei wiped his tears away, gently, so gently, before pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

_“I love you_ ,” he said in Russian.

Kent pretended not to understand.

_X_

Jack and Bitty invited Kent and Alexei over to their house for Sunday brunch at least once a month. They all acted as if this weren’t something of a tradition so Kent could pretend he and Alexei were just having fun together. He wasn’t fooling anyone. Least of all himself.

After more waffles than was probably healthy, Bitty asked for Alexei to help him clear the plates. He’d never ask a guest to help clean up - his southern manners wouldn’t let him, so Kent knew something was up.

His suspicions were confirmed a moment later when Jack cleared his throat looking uncomfortable.

“Hey Kenny,” he said, twining a napkin in his hands.

“Yeah Zimms.”

“You and Alexei are good together in a way you and I weren’t, you know?”

Kent smiled. He did know.

Jack cleared his throat. “Alexei isn’t me.”

Kent rolled his eyes and counted to ten. He made it to four. “Gee Zimms I hadn’t realized the dick I was riding was attached to a large Russian man instead of a Canadian asshole.”

Rather than shut down, Jack rolled his eyes. It was obvious just how much they’d both grown.

“Kent,” he said reprimanding. “I mean just because soulmates are big deals to some people doesn’t mean others don’t find happiness together even without a soul bond.”  

“Alexei and I are just having fun,” he said, turning as a bout of laughter drifted out from the kitchen.

He smiled when Alexei came out half covered in flour, stalking towards him with intent. Alexei lunged at him before Kent could run away. He tried to shake the flour off himself and onto Kent but it wasn’t working.

Kent laughed at the overly distraught expression on Alexei’s face. Alexei scooped him up in a fireman’s carry and squeezed his ass. Kent yelped and tried to swat at Alexei’s, but he couldn’t quite reach.

Bitty was muffling laughter behind his hand. Kent’s cheeks flushed as blood rushed to his head. Jack smiled at them both.

“Sure you are,” he said.  

_X_

Kent writhed on the bed as Alexei worked him, mouth around his dick, warm and hot and wet, with his fingers sliding in and out of his hole. Kent moaned, hips thrusting up against Alexei’s palm holding him down. Alexei knew by now to expect Kent to have no control of his hips when he was close to coming.

He was one second away when Alexei pulled off him. He couldn’t quite stop a whine from escaping his lips. Alexei shushed him, pressing a kiss to his lips. Before Kent could truly bemoan the loss of Alexei’s lips and fingers, the man’s dick was pressing at his entrance. Kent wrapped his arms around Alexei’s neck and kissed him hard. Alexei thrusts were slow and just a hair out of rhythm but _oh so_ perfect and Kent was going to come.

He snuck a hand between their bodies and was about to finish himself off when Alexei grabbed his hand and pinned them both above his head. _Not yet,_ he said, or maybe Kent just imagined it. Either way he whined into the kiss, moving his hips up to meet each of Alexei’s thrusts. His dick was trapped between them, red and weeping and so so hard. Alexei sped up, breaking their kiss to inhale shakily, each thrust aimed so perfect Kent was seeing stars.

“ _Alexei, Alexei, Lexi_ ,” Kent chanted, too far gone to be embarrassed.  

He couldn’t form the words he needed, but that was okay because Alexei knew. He let go of Kent’s hands and wrapped his fingers around Kent’s dick. Kent nearly shouted in relief. Alexei stroked him hard and fast. A moment later Kent cried out, bucking his hips and coming. Alexei came with him. When Alexei finally pulled out his come spilled out of Kent’s ass.

“Oh my god,” Kent said, as Alexei flopped down on the bed beside him. Both of them too tired to move.

Alexei kissed him softly, then pulled Kent so he was resting with his head on Alexei’s chest. They were sweaty and tired and Kent was covered in both their come. It was perfect.

“I love you.”

Kent closed his eyes.

“I know you do not want to hear this,” Alexei said the words slowly, carefully as though rehearsed. “But I am in love with you Kent Parson, and I want you to know.”

“You have a soulmate out there waiting for you,” Kent said, if only to stop himself from repeating the sentiment.

“I don’t care.”

Kent scoffed. “You say that now, but one day a tattoo will show up on your skin that you didn’t get, or you’ll meet someone with your tattoo and then I’ll be thrown out with last week’s garbage.”

Alexei pulled Kent closer. “Do you think I am such bad person that I tell you I love you and not mean it?”

Kent shook his head. “I think you mean it now.”

“Do you love me?” Alexei asked, point blank, face determined.

Kent swallowed hard. He nodded. “I do,” he said, “love you I mean.” Because Alexei deserved to hear it.

“Will you stop loving me if tattoo appear on your skin tomorrow?”

Kent jerked up to a sitting position. “No!” he said, “of course not. I _love_ you.”

Alexei pulled him back down so he was cradled in his arms. “And I love you. I don’t care if I have new tattoo tomorrow or if I meet person who is suppose to be soulmate. If it is not you then they are not my soulmate. They are person with same tattoo.”

Kent buried his head in Alexei’s shoulder, unable to look at him. “So what’re you saying?”

Alexei nudged him until Kent met his gaze. “I am saying that I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, soulmate or no soulmate. If you want the same?”

Kent inhaled sharply. He nodded. “Yes.”

Even if Alexei still left him for his soulmate, at least Kent would always have this memory.

_X_

Kent had never been happier - even when he’d thought he found his soulmate in Zimms. So why Alexei had to go and ruin it by getting a tattoo was beyond him.

“A heart,” Alexei said, pointing to his wrist. “Right here, so we match.”

Kent inhaled shakily. He would not cry. He wouldn’t. He nodded and turned away to make the stencil. He placed it on Alexei’s left wrist just to the side of center, where Kent’s scar lay. Kent slipped on his gloves and put a new needle into the tattoo gun.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Kent asked, for the hundredth time.

Alexei nodded. “Yes, do not worry котенок.”

He began tattooing and the location of it meant Kent was basically holding his hand. Alexei yelped when the needle pierced his skin and Kent pulled the gun away.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Alexei nodded. “Yes keep going. I did not think it will hurt so bad.”

Kent frowned, glancing at the tattoo just three inches up from the heart. Alexei followed his gaze and smiled sheepishly. The smile slipped as Kent resumed tattooing.

“You do not know Russian tradition,” Alexei said more than asked. “About soulmates.”

Kent shook his head, continuing on the crooked curve of the heart, having been unable to talk Alexei out of smoothing out the shape.

“In Russia it is common to have fake tattoo, they are made with ink that sit on top of skin, last eight months, maybe ten before you get redone.”

The buzz of the tattoo gun stopped. Kent pulled away and swiped at the excess ink, tattoo complete.  He looked up at Alexei, trying desperately to stop the _hope_ from blooming in his chest.

“It is so you get to know someone. Not just jump into relationship with person because they have same tattoo. I get this when I am sixteen. Is not real. I wait until I find soulmate.”

“Why are you getting it now?” Kent asked, voice barely more than a whisper.

Alexei smiled at him, that same big, beautiful smile that Kent fell for the first day they met. “Because I found you.”

_X_

The white scar that had marred the skin of Kent’s wrist since childhood was now finally black.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading/liking/commenting!


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